This iRobot vacuum commercial is about a month old but upon viewing, courtesy of Texan in Hippieland, we felt the need to ponder iRobot's apparent fixation with bestiality. Oh sure, the pigs in this ad are supposed to represent the dirty kids running throughout the house and the donkey is supposed to be the woman's ass of a husband. But, as TIH points out, showing the pigs run up the stairs where the iRobot vacuum clearly can't follow is not exactly the best illustration of product benefit.

And, the donkey in the bed at the end of the commercial who the site refers to as her "best friend?" What exactly is the message here? A clean house makes time for an afternoon bestiality quickie? Oh yes, it's all a big metaphor for family life and the put upon mom who has to deal with a house full of dirty animals but that ending is just really weird.

Here's a bummer of significant proportions. SF group Richter Scales posted a parody video on YouTube about the impending pop of our rancidly ripe Web 2.0 bubble. It's a shame. We would've liked to see it.

The group used a bunch of images found online, mashed up to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire.

On Shake Well Before Use, Social Media Insights Consultant Ariel Waldman has written a detailed analysis and review of a campaign hair care company Garnier has launched which involves blog briber PayPerPost (now hiding behind the walls of social media company IZEA) and what is purported to be a new TV show called The Harry Situation. On the show's website, clips highlight the sexual innuendo and double entendre-laden theme of the show. It also covers what's being sold as dispute between the show's creators and Garnier who pulled their sponsorship because of the show's racy content.

Of course, the controversy isn't real. Either is the show. It's all part of an elaborate ad campaign complete with what appear to be paid blog posts and a YouTube video featuring Garnier SVP of Sales Steve Lutz who explains why the company pulled their sponsorship.

AdFreak has been following the Australian Finger Wag which debuted in an anti-speeding campaign. In the ads, women wag their pinkies at guys who performed testosterone-fueled automotive idiocy in front of them seemingly to make up for their small dicks. It seems the finger wag caught on causing, in one case, a man to throw a bottle of water at a woman who wagged her finger at him.

Predictably, another marketer, Eagle Boys Pizza, copied the idea (and very badly) by showing a couple of girls wag their pinkies at a Dominos pizza delivery guy as he drives buy. Dominos didn't take kindly to the commercial and a spokesperson said, I'm going to write personally to their CEO kindly and politely. Look, it's fair enough that we compete, but why would you want to degrade our team members? It's nothing to do with them."

Christmas is the time of year when when all that yuletide stuff rings from every street corner. When Salvation Army Santas are at every doorway. A time when love and joy supplant ego-fueled ladder climbing. A time when visions of sugar plumbs infiltrate the dreams of children. A time when the sound of sleigh bells brings a smile to everyone's face. I time when Rockefeller Place becomes an oasis from the city's grind. Christmas is the time when violence-fueled gamers beat the shit out of Jesus Christ.

To try building hype, Target started a secret society called Target Rounders. The group is comprised of college kids who earn discounts, CDs and other goodies if they sing the praises of Target to friends and family.

We heard about the group from Rosie Siman, a 21-year-old member of the group and a senior at the University of Georgia. Apparently shit really hit the fan when Target circulated a Rounders newsletter in early October, saying the company would be launching a Facebook group.

Even though Facebook has backed off its Beacon advertising system which many people called invasive, a recent Computer Associates study finds Facebook still snoops into user's affiliate site activity. Computer Associates PestPatrol Research Engineer, writing on the company's blog said, "Facebook is collecting information about user actions on affiliate sites regardless of whether or not the user chose to opt out, and regardless of whether or not the user is logged into Facebook at that time."